A Declaration and Address of Freedom
Throughout the years there have been many significant speeches in regards to freedom of Americans. Two examples are: “I have a Dream” by Martin Luther King about civil rights and equality, and “Toward a More Perfect Union,” by Senator Barack Obama. The baseline of these great speeches is The Declaration of Independence, by Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress, and “The Gettysburg Address,” by President Abraham Lincoln. Both speeches are the same when the speeches refer to human rights and the belief that “all men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence, 2011), in 1863 the Americans are engaged in a Civil War. President Lincoln speech was about abolishing slavery, and the “proposition that all men are created equal” (The Gettysburg Address, 2011). However, they are also different because the Gettysburg address did not address a tyrant like King George II, as the Continental Congress and rebellious Americans were fighting for independence to have their own government.
The Gettysburg Address and The Declaration of Independence are not as different as people seem to believe. Both writers were engaged in a war; Lincoln felt he was fighting for the same freedom the Continental Congress wished to have from King George, freedom and equality. Lincoln wanted abolishment of slavery which he, like Jefferson hoped would lead to equality, this is evident when Jefferson said that “all men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence, 2011). The meaning of the sacrifice made at Gettysburg in 1863 is similar to that of the sacrifice of 1776. In both wars men fought and died. The men of 1776 and 1863 still harvested the same crops and lived in the same houses; they spoke the same language and prayed to the same God. This relationship between the two generations is strong; however, this is not what is the most important. It is not what ties the two separate generations. Abraham Lincoln believed that both generations had the same belief, the belief of
The Gettysburg Address and The Declaration of Independence are not as different as people seem to believe. Both writers were engaged in a war; Lincoln felt he was fighting for the same freedom the Continental Congress wished to have from King George, freedom and equality. Lincoln wanted abolishment of slavery which he, like Jefferson hoped would lead to equality, this is evident when Jefferson said that “all men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence, 2011). The meaning of the sacrifice made at Gettysburg in 1863 is similar to that of the sacrifice of 1776. In both wars men fought and died. The men of 1776 and 1863 still harvested the same crops and lived in the same houses; they spoke the same language and prayed to the same God. This relationship between the two generations is strong; however, this is not what is the most important. It is not what ties the two separate generations. Abraham Lincoln believed that both generations had the same belief, the belief of
References: Declaration of Independence. (2011). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285012/Declaration-of-Independence Gettysburg Address. (2011). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232225/Gettysburg-Address